The Illusions Of Software Development

Many things are not what they seem

Ben "The Hosk" Hosking
CodeX

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Photo by Paul Basel from Pexels

Reality is merely an illusion, albeit a very persistent one. Albert Einstein

Software development is never quite as it seems. Software projects that seem easy at the start turn into a nightmare at the end. Jobs that seem great turn out to be a frustrating waste of time.

Software development is full of illusions that are ready to surprise us.

Illusion of project plans

The more time people spend on estimating and planning, the more accurate they believe those plans to be.

It doesn’t matter how long you spend on your plan, it’s still likely to be wrong. Requirements will change (more requirements, changing requirements), mistakes will happen, problems will occur.

A plan is guidance based on how long you think will happen, it’s not a commitment or a guarantee.

Illusion of your job

Many developers have the illusion their current development role will further their career. After a few years,years, they have a closer look and see the illusion of what it really was.

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Ben "The Hosk" Hosking
CodeX

Technology philosopher | Software dev → Solution architect | Avid reader | Life long learner